Trump is the CEO America needs for an epic comeback

OPINION:

America has a lame-duck president, but soon, we will again have a commander in chief who runs the country like a business — a wildly successful business.

Next Tuesday is the start of a great American comeback because former President Donald Trump will win the election and take the helm as the CEO America needs for a return to peace and prosperity.

In many meaningful ways, the president of the United States functions as the country’s CEO — providing direction, implementing policies, overseeing personnel management and urging the board of directors (Congress) to pass policies that they believe are in the organization’s (country’s) long-term best interests.

But as Mr. Trump learned in office, serving as America’s CEO differs in some crucial respects from serving as a corporate CEO.

Professional bureaucrats and establishment politicians viewed Mr. Trump’s 2016 election victory as a threat to their power and their way of life. His proposals to return power to the common man, root out systemic political corruption and end the forever wars that feed the military-industrial complex were met with abject horror from those whose paychecks and side deals were threatened.

These people worked in Mr. Trump’s own administration to undermine him at every opportunity.

This time around, however, Mr. Trump has the tools and the knowledge to succeed as America’s CEO in ways that he couldn’t before.

Mr. Trump’s greatest asset in a second term will be the institutional knowledge he has gained over the past eight years. As a political newcomer, he entered the White House in 2017 unfamiliar with the ways of Washington and the intricacies of our complex federal government.

Now that he understands the way the game is played, he’s in a much stronger position. Mr. Trump is a winner. He wins by staying a step ahead of his adversaries, outthinking and outworking them. His work ethic and energy remain second to none, as he’s demonstrated on the campaign trail, week after grueling week.

Mr. Trump no longer takes the loyalty of those who serve under him for granted. He and his team know who needs to be blocked from entering his next administration as political appointees and removed from the bureaucracy to ensure that the policies Americans voted for are implemented as intended.

Mr. Trump has already pegged Elon Musk to lead a new Department of Governmental Efficiency with plans to trim the federal budget by trillions of dollars, which could potentially include trimming federal bloat by eliminating thousands of unnecessary bureaucrats.

Mr. Trump will also begin his second term with a greater appreciation for how ruthless and evil the people arrayed against him can be. They will stop at nothing. After many investigations, two impeachments and numerous indictments, Mr. Trump has been subjected to two  assassination attempts this campaign cycle, one of which came millimeters from killing him in front of thousands of people.

Democrats such as Rep. Jamie Raskin admit they will attempt to subvert the will of the electorate and try to block the certification of electors on Jan. 6, 2025. Although Mr. Trump clearly has the momentum and appears to have the advantage heading into Election Day, his opponents will stop at nothing to prevent him from becoming the 47th president.

Keep something in mind as this plays out. Mr. Trump has and will always stand with the working men and women who awake every morning and use their labor to make America work well. And it’s their champion, Mr. Trump, who will serve on their behalf to make America great again.

The silver lining to all this is that Mr. Trump and his team learn from every setback, every ambush and every attack. He will enter the White House in 2025 in a far stronger position than he did in 2017, and he will be much more effective in implementing his America First agenda.

Donald Trump is the CEO America needs for an epic comeback.

• John Schnatter is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Papa John’s International.